It also motivated me to get back in the pool. I used to swim competitively in age-group swimming. I hardly swam for fitness ever since I hung up my Speedo. I prefer biking. But thank USA Swimming for sparking an interest to dive back in the pool again. I need something different these days. Bike riding the same roads over and over are getting old. It seems ridiculous to put my bike on the car and drive elsewhere with the price of gasoline being what it is. I still hit the gym religiously but I’m getting stale. I need some variety. I think swimming may be it for a few months.

I was watching ESPN at the gym early last week and there was a roundtable discussion about Michael Phelps and the swimming. Two jocks, a sportswriter and a female moderator. One of the jocks was complimenting MP on his accomplishment but went on to say “it’s just swimming”. That his accomplishment is not as great because the best athletes do not swim. They play ball sports. That if the athletes that were playing football were swimming instead, then he would have more competition. What a moron. The moderator was like, you have to be kidding! This is typical of the attitude in America towards anything other than the holy trilogy of football, baseball and basketball.

If his argument were the case then perhaps the Super Bowl champs were not valid since some of the best athletes could be playing basketball, you know? There is a very low tolerance in this country for anything other than our ball sports. Though we love golf of course, because it takes very little physical effort for the average Joe to play. They even get to ride a little car to chase the ball in. Hardly an exerting activity.

Sorry, I strayed from my original intent. I wonder if the Olympics will motivate people to get moving. They say that Speedo expects to sell a lot of goodies because of Phelps. I know I went out and bought a new pair of swim goggles as the straps on my old ones had dry-rotted. Shows how long I’ve been in the pool to swim laps.

I’m kind of looking forward to swimming some laps. It will take a while to get my endurance back. And I’m sure my speed is way down from my best times as I’m considerably older. Swimming is a full-body workout. It builds strength and endurance. A couple of times a week in the pool should do me good.